Abraham Lincoln eBook

(After studying it in silence): Yes.
There’s no doubt about it. Unless Meade
goes to sleep it can only be a question of hours.
Lee’s a great man, but he can’t get out
of that.

Making a ring on the map with his finger.

Malins (taking the map again): This ought
to be the end, sir.

Grant: Yes. If Lee surrenders, we
can all pack up for home.

Malins: By God, sir, it will be splendid,
won’t it, to be back again?

Grant: By God, sir, it will.

Malins: I beg your pardon, sir.

Grant: You’re quite right, Malins.
My boy goes away to school next week. Now I may
be able to go down with him and see him settled.

DENNIS comes back.

Dennis: Colonel West says, yes, sir, for
the last half-hour. The cook says he’s
sorry, sir. It was a mistake.

Grant: Tell him to keep his mistakes in
the kitchen.

Dennis: I will, sir.

He goes back to his place.

Grant (at his papers_): Those rifles went up
this afternoon?

Malins: Yes, sir.

Another ORDERLY comes in.

Orderly_: Mr. Lincoln has just arrived, sir.
He’s in the yard now.

Grant: All right, I’ll come.

THE ORDERLY goes. GRANT rises and crosses
to the door, but is met there by LINCOLN and
HAY. LINCOLN, in top boots and tall hat that
has seen many campaigns, shakes hands with GRANT
and takes MALINS’S salute.

Grant: I wasn’t expecting you, sir.

Lincoln: No; but I couldn’t keep
away. How’s it going?

They sit.

Grant: Meade sent word an hour and a half
ago that Lee was surrounded all but two miles, which
was closing in.

Lincoln: That ought about to settle it,
eh?

Grant: Unless anything goes wrong in those
two miles, sir. I’m expecting a further
report from Meade every minute.

Lincoln: Would there be more fighting?

Grant: It will probably mean fighting
through the night, more or less. But Lee must
realise it’s hopeless by the morning.

An Orderly (entering): A despatch, sir.

Grant: Yes.

THE ORDERLY goes, and a YOUNG OFFICER comes
in from the field. He salutes and hands a despatch
to GRANT.

Officer: From General Meade, sir.

Grant (taking it): Thank you.

He opens it and reads.

You needn’t wait.

THE OFFICER salutes and goes.

Yes, they’ve closed the ring. Meade gives
them ten hours. It’s timed at eight.
That’s six o’clock in the morning.